GOVERNMENT has warned humanitarian agencies against distributing contaminated food to hungry Zimbabweans reeling from the effects of the El Nino-induced drought.
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development minister, Anxious Masuka, said this after revealing that 9 000 metric tonnes of grain stored at two Grain Marketing Board depots was recently condemned as unfit for human consumption.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed for US$3 billon in food aid after declaring the drought a state of national disaster.
The United Nations and its partners issued a flash appeal for a further US$429 million.
“Through [Local Government] minister July Moyo, we agreed that the quality of the grain that is given to a Zimbabweans must be the minimum quality that we as a country want our people to be fed with,” Masuka said in Parliament on Wednesday last week when asked what measures are being taken to ensure that Zimbabweans are not given contaminated food.
“We must not, at any stage, for any expediency, allow substandard grain to be imported and distributed in the country.”
He urged beneficiaries not to hesitate to query if they suspect having been given contaminated food.
“Where members are of the view that, based on their thorough examination, not professional examination, they have reasonable suspicion that this grain might not be fit for human consumption, we urge you to take a sample and submit this to the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry and we will expeditiously analyse, take the appropriate measures to ensure that Zimbabweans consume food of the right quality,” Masuka said.
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Masuka said maize deemed unfit for human consumption is processed for livestock.
According to Masuka, at least 9 000 metric tonnes stored at the GMB was condemned as unfit for consumption recently.
“For the grain that is held by the GMB, the 426 088 metric tonnes as of midnight, the day before yesterday, just under 9 000 metric tonnes is unfit for human consumption, largely maize at Lion’s Den and at Murehwa depots constituting 90% of that maize, that has now been condemned and had been redirected for purposes of feeding livestock," Masuka said.
“That contamination simply happened because Lion’s Den had more than what it could carry and when it should do the monthly turn because this is a massive silo, so you have to turn the grain and aerate it every month but there was an electricity outage. So the maize that was at the bottom was consequently affected."
He said when an import licence application is made, they request information about where the maize is coming from.
"We list in terms of the plant quarantine requirements of Zimbabwe. Certain diseases might be occurring in the jurisdiction that we are importing from and we state that this maize consignment must be free of the following,” Masuka said.
“We then dispatch a team to go to that factory or the source to do a physical inspection and write a report that this maize in terms of Zimbabwe’s quality control system is fit for human consumption before that maize is shipped to Zimbabwe.”
